


5x07: Comfort

by nightbirdrises



Series: S5 Reaction Drabbles [7]
Category: Glee
Genre: Gen, M/M, Reaction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-29
Updated: 2013-11-29
Packaged: 2018-01-03 00:05:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1063297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightbirdrises/pseuds/nightbirdrises
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt’s away. Blaine and their young daughter, Grace, find themselves missing him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	5x07: Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: [[x]](http://princehummel.tumblr.com/post/68446371905)

"When will Daddy be home?"

Blaine sighs, rubbing a hand over his forehead. He has answered that question at least five times in the past two days, but Grace stubbornly believes that the answer might change if she asks often enough.

"He’ll be back Sunday night, okay? It’s just two more days."

"I want him home  _now_ ,” Grace huffs, crossing her arms. Blaine attempts to reach across the table to ruffle her hair in hopes of making her smile and feel better, but she turns away. He ignores the pang in his gut, knowing that she’s just missing Kurt and that it has nothing to do with him specifically.

"I know, sweetie," Blaine says, pulling his hand back. "Are you going to finish your mac and cheese?"

"No."

"Okay," Blaine mutters, standing up. There’s no use trying to get her to finish her dinner when she’s like this — earlier she’d eaten plenty, so he’s not worried about that. What he’s worried about is how badly she has taken to Kurt being away.

Kurt’s back in Ohio to visit his parents and check up on his dad, who’d been having some minor health issues. Of course, Kurt being Kurt, he’d heard about those issues and wanted to leave immediately just to make sure he’s getting the whole picture. Or at least that’s what he told Blaine two days ago, just before he left for the airport last-minute.

Blaine gathers up the dishes and rinses them in the sink, making a mental note to load up the dishwasher at the next opportunity. He hears small footsteps and then Grace is hugging his legs tight, burying her face into his belly.

"I miss him, Papa," she whines, the words muffled in his shirt. She doesn’t avoid him when Blaine moves to pat her head comfortingly, which is a small relief.

"Me too. Do you want to watch a movie?" Grace nods. "Go pick one out, I’ll be there in a few minutes."

She trots off to do that and Blaine smiles after her. He always knew he loved kids, but he was never prepared for just how much he would end up loving his own daughter. Their little family is the most important thing in the world to him.

Family. Blaine has to smile wider just thinking about it, how he and Kurt have a home and a family to call their own. They had gone quite a while without children due to a mutual agreement that they had to get on their feet in the real world before they could think about that next step, but now, only a few years after taking that step, Blaine can’t believe how much of an impact Grace has had on them. Sure, the whole waking up in the middle of the night thing at the beginning was rough, but Blaine wouldn’t trade any of it in for the world.

As soon as the dishes are done, Blaine makes his way to the living room, where Grace is sitting right in the middle of the couch, her eyes glued to the TV. It only takes one look for Blaine to realize that she’d picked The Aristocats. It’s considered an old movie now, yet it’s still one of her favorites.

"Do  _you_  want to be a cat?” he asks, trying to sound cheerful as he sits down next to her. But she sniffs and burrows into his side, turning her head so she can still see the screen. Blaine wraps an arm around her and holds her close, completely at a loss of what to do.

After a while, Grace is singing along with the movie and distracted enough for Blaine to slip off the couch and to her room. He thinks that if she has her favorite toy, a stuffed moose named Finn, she might feel a little bit better.

(Grace named the moose herself after spending a day with Rachel; Blaine had meant to ask exactly what they talked about that day, slightly worried about both of the girls, but Kurt’s soft, bright-eyed smile when Grace made her announcement drove all curiosity from him.)

The moose isn’t in her room, though, to Blaine’s dismay. He searches under the bed, in Grace’s closet, and even under all the covers, but he comes up empty. Out of desperation, he tries his and Kurt’s bedroom — maybe Grace left it in there one day? Blaine has no idea, but he digs into an unmarked box in Kurt’s small walk-in closet just to cover all bases. There’s no moose, but…

"Oh my god," Blaine mumbles, eyes wide as he takes in the sight of the puppet. The Kurt puppet that he made in high school and sent to his then-fiancé, that Kurt had awkwardly complimented during their next conversation when Blaine realized that a homemade puppet was probably kind of a creepy gift. But if Kurt actually kept it, even through two moves to different apartments… Blaine doesn’t know what to think, really.

He takes the puppet out and slips it over his hand, privately preening at the skill his 18 year-old self had. Okay, so maybe felt puppet-making is an odd talent, but he’ll take it. Especially now, when this just might be what he needs.

Grace is still immersed in the movie when Blaine returns, careful not to let her see him as he sneaks behind the couch around to one side, where he lets puppet-Kurt peek up over the armrest.

"Hi Grace," he says in his best Kurt voice, hoping that Grace won’t find the puppet creepy instead of comforting. It would  _not_  do if he scarred his daughter for life.

"… Daddy?" Grace asks, clearly dubious even though Blaine can’t see her face.

"That’s right, honey. Your Papa is a little silly and made a puppet of your Daddy a long time ago."

Grace giggles quietly. “Really?”

Blaine grins, shuffling to poke his head up so he can see her. “Yep.”

"You’re weird, Papa."

"I guess I am," Blaine says, shrugging. He puts his Kurt voice back on and adds, "But I love him anyway, and we both love  _you_ , too!”

Grace smiles, blushing a little, and crawls across the couch to get a closer look at the Kurt puppet. “Can I hold him?”

"Sure, sweetie," Blaine says, and Grace carefully takes the puppet off his hand and holds it in front of her, staring. Blaine gets up so he can move around the couch and sit next to her again, pretending to watch The Aristocats.

Well, no, he actually  _is_  watching The Aristocats. It’s an under-appreciated classic.

"I like him," Grace announces after a few minutes, turning to look at Blaine. She has the puppet held tight in her arms, puppet-Kurt’s cheek against hers. "But I still miss the real Daddy."

"He’ll be home before we know it," Blaine says as he smiles at her. She seems happier, at least, and that’s as much as he’d hoped for. "Until then we have puppet-Daddy to boss us around."

"Daddy  _is_  kind of bossy sometimes,” Grace admits. “But it’s okay. I still love Daddy.”

"Me too. And I love you, of course," Blaine says, grabbing her without warning and falling back along the couch so she’s lying on his stomach. Grace maneuvers puppet-Kurt’s hand to smack him in the side and Blaine lets out an exaggerated grunt, making her laugh.

They lie there for a long while, talking and laughing and trying to see who can do the best Daddy voice (Grace wins). Soon, though, Blaine can feel himself drifting off, and he really should put Grace to bed but he can’t bring himself to get up when she’s clearly comfortable where she is. So he lets himself fall asleep, his daughter close behind.

 

* * *

 

Kurt closes the door as quietly as he possibly can, wincing when it still manages to make a loud click. It’s incredibly late at night but at least he’s home, and he can surprise Blaine with his early arrival. He knows how Blaine misses him and knows that Grace has been having a rough time as well, so he’d figured that his dad would be okay if he went home a couple of days early.

He passes through the living room and frowns when he notices something on the couch. Walking around it, he discovers that the something is the shape of his daughter sleeping on top of his husband. And in Grace’s arms is a very familiar puppet.

Kurt blinks, confused, but then he smiles. Of course he remembers the puppet — he’s pretty sure that Blaine secretly thinks he hates it or something, but he honestly kind of loves it. He’s attached to the damn thing, what can he say? Plus, it’s rather flattering how spot-on it is.

And, well. Seeing his daughter holding on to the puppet version of him like that… it’s both sweet and heartbreaking because she must have really missed him for her to have somehow gotten ahold of it, whether it was Blaine looking for a way to comfort her or Grace looking to do that for herself. He resolves not to go anywhere out of state without both of them at his side next time, barring an emergency with his dad.

It’s too late to think this much, so Kurt lets himself kiss Grace’s and Blaine’s foreheads gently before wandering off to his bedroom. It’ll still be a good surprise when Blaine comes in and finds Kurt there, anyway, maybe enough of a surprise for them to take a much-needed mutual shower and work out the physical strains of being apart. It’s been a while; Kurt thinks they each deserve a nice orgasm after a good two weeks of their schedules and Grace being lovely cockblocks.

God, but he loves them both. And the puppet too, if it has managed to wiggle its way into Grace’s heart as well.

Kurt’s just about asleep when he vaguely notices the dip of the mattress; he unconsciously turns toward it, blinking his eyes open when Blaine kisses him gently.

"Sneaky," Blaine mumbles, obviously still half-asleep.

"Did you—"

"She’s in her bed, don’t worry. She missed you, you know."

"I know. I’m sorry."

"No, no— It’s fine, Kurt. I think I figured out what to do when she misses you, anyway."

"Yeah, I saw the puppet."

"Oh."

Kurt grins as much as he can manage when he’s bone-tired. “It was very sweet.”

"Oh, okay," Blaine says, visibly relieved. "I was worried you’d think it was weird. You know, your daughter and your husband cuddling a you-puppet."

"Oh no, sweetheart. You’ve done much weirder things."

"Gee, thanks."

"Mhm, love you," Kurt mumbles, slipping under. "Talk more in morning."

"Love you too, Kurt. Can’t wait talk in morning," Blaine teases; Kurt grunts and attempts to shove at his shoulder in retaliation. His hand just drops halfway there, though, and he gives up.

"Shut up and sleep."

Blaine hums, scooting in closer. Kurt lets him drape an arm over his waist, smiling even as his eyes close. He only hears one more thing before he falls asleep entirely:

"I’m so glad you’re home."


End file.
